Is it possible to preserve the urban landscape without obscuring the means of communication and information about the nature of the service?
Commercial signage regulations help organize city facades, reduce visual clutter, and improve the urban landscape, which are important goals that deserve support and commitment. However, given the varying nature of activities, it may be appropriate for certain regulatory details to take into account the nature of each activity and the needs of its beneficiaries.
Professional and service activities, such as real estate brokerage firms, as well as law firms, consulting firms, and engineering and accounting firms, differ from many other commercial activities because they rely primarily on service delivery and direct communication between the client and the service provider.
When someone walks past a real estate office, for example, simply knowing the name of the business may not be enough; what they usually need to know are two simple things: What services does this office offer? And how can I contact it?
This highlights the importance of allowing professional and service-based businesses to display their licensed services and a single, verified contact number on their business sign, in accordance with clear and specific regulations.
The contact number for such businesses is not merely an advertising element, but a direct means of accessing the service. A customer might see the office while passing by without being able to stop, or pass by outside of business hours and wish to contact it later. Likewise, including a brief description of licensed services—such as “Real Estate Brokerage—Property Management”—helps customers understand the nature of the services the business provides without having to enter the premises or search for them through other means.
From an economic perspective, failing to display contact information or the nature of services may result in lost opportunities for engagement and potential customers, and reduce the business’s ability to capitalize on its location and storefront—despite the costs businesses incur for rent, equipment, and licensing. This does not mean turning the signs into crowded advertising spaces or allowing promotional offers and marketing slogans; rather, precise regulations could be established to allow for a single contact number and a brief description of licensed services only, while specifying the font size, the space allocated to them, and their location on the sign.
Therefore, this aspect may warrant further study by the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing and the Secretariat of the Holy Capital, taking into account the specific nature of professional and service activities when regulating the content of commercial signs, and the possibility of allowing a single contact number and a brief description of licensed services, within clear regulations that preserve the quality of the urban landscape.
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